Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Grand Theft Auto V gets current-gen console boost in March

Rockstar Games has confirmed that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions of Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online will launch on March 15.

While the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of GTA V don’t seem to add anything in the way of new story content, the blog post revealing the new date explains how they will utilize the power of the new systems. Rockstar Games promises 4K resolution and 60 frames-per-second (fps) support, better draw distance, more detailed textures, HDR, ray tracing, better loading times, haptic feedback, and 3D audio.

Recommended Videos

GTA Online will see the same improvements, and will also get a stand-alone release for those just interested in multiplayer. Rockstar Games will no longer require players to complete GTA V‘s prologue before accessing it, and it’s getting a reworked tutorial as well. On PS5 and Xbox Series X, Hao’s Special Works auto shop will be exclusively available, and will upgrade cars so they have “elite driving performance that takes full advantage of the upgraded power of new console hardware.”

Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S – Coming March 2022

The stand-alone version of GTA Online will be free on PS5 for the first three months. Rockstar Games also confirmed that players will be able to carry over GTA V and GTA Online progression to these next-gen systems with a “one-time migration.” 

These next-gen remasters were announced in June 2020 as the first reveal during Sony’s PS5 unveiling livestream. We have not seen much of the remasters since then, though. Last year, they were given a November 11 release date, but were eventually pushed to March 2022 because Rockstar thought the ports needed “a few additional months for polishing and fine-tuning.”

In its place, we got GTA: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition, remasters of three classic GTA games. Sadly, that collection came out buggy and rushed, as it was clearly forced to launch on the date GTA V abandoned. Now, all eyes are on these next-gen ports of GTA V to see if they also have technical issues at release, or if this delay was beneficial. 

GTA V and GTA Online will be released for PS5 and Xbox Series X on March 15, 2022. Oh, and GTA 6 was finally announced, too.

Tomas Franzese
As a Gaming Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
I’m finally turning into a Valorant fan thanks to its Xbox port
Key art for Valorant on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Although I've followed and played a bit of Valorant over the years as I've covered it, I've never fully taken the plunge and gotten into Riot Games' intense hero shooter competitively. I simply don't like playing first-person shooters on PC. I understand that's a somewhat odd take because using a mouse and keyboard gives players such precise control, but I grew up playing Call of Duty games on a console rather than a PC. I could take the time to really learn and get used to mouse-and-keyboard controls for a game like Valorant, but it's so competitive, and proper teamwork is such a critical factor that it is too intimidating of a game to practice my PC skills in.

That's why I was grateful when I learned Riot Games was finally bringing Valorant to consoles with some major adjustments. Announced at Summer Game Fest, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Valorant are on the way and in closed beta testing right now. Riot granted me access to the Xbox beta, and after playing some more Valorant on Xbox Series X, I can tell I'm starting to get hooked. Valorant is a tightly designed competitive shooter, and the control tweaks Riot made to make it work on a controller feel great. I don't have to worry about competing with PC players using a mouse and keyboard either, just players who are already really good at the game with a controller.

Read more
Valorant is coming to consoles but won’t have crossplay
Key art for Valorant on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Valorant is coming to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S as soon as next week with a limited beta test. Riot Games announced these long-awaited ports for its competitive hero shooter during Summer Game Fest 2024. Notably, while Valorant on consoles will feature cross-progression, it won't have crossplay.

The lack of crossplay may come as a disappointment to some players who hope to party up with their friends on PC; Riot Games says that it made this decision "to maintain Valorant's standard for competitive integrity." It wouldn't be fair for those with a controller to face off against players using a keyboard and mouse to control the game, after all. It also wouldn't make sense because Riot Games is not only adapting Valorant's control scheme for the Xbox and PlayStation controllers but reworking some gameplay features as well. Namely, it added a new feature called Focus that makes hip-fire feel more precise on a controller. Valorant Production Director Arnar Gylfason elaborated on this in a comment provided to Digital Trends.

Read more
Amazon’s ambitious MMO New World is finally coming to PS5 and Xbox this October
Key art for New World Aeternum.

Amazon is finally bringing its MMO New World to consoles this October, and that’s coming as part of a larger rework of the fantasy game called New World: Aeternum.

When New World hits consoles on October 15, it will also add crossplay, so you can group up with your friends on different platforms. That said, it won’t feature cross-progression, as the characters you make will be locked to whatever platform you made them on. The controls and UI have also been reworked to function better with a controller, and Amazon Games expects New World to keep update parity across all three platforms starting this October.

Read more